What is alt text
The Alt text, Alt tag or text attribute designates a description of images for search engines and for certain categories of people. Some blind internet users have problems visualizing the images or to understand them simply. The insertion of the right alternative text allows them to describe to them the context of the images in order to facilitate their understanding. It is worth mentioning that alt tags affect your ranking in organic searches. Here are some pointers on what alt text is and how you can use it for your SEO needs.
Combine image and text
Image alt text is becoming increasingly important as search engines improve their ability to read any image on a page, and the user experience is enriched with visual content. If you’re creating content for the internet, it’s likely that you need visuals. From the user’s perspective, images embedded in the page are much more pleasing than clicking on a hyperlink, and Google’s SERPs are adapting to this preference.
How to do it
The alt attribute is part of the HTML <img> tag. This means that all you have to do is add alt=”…” to the tag and you are done.
The best format for writing an alternative text should not contain any spam or keyword stuffing. You should be able to write a concise text that says the essential. Avoid being too long in your writing. A few words that accurately describe the action on the image is already enough.
Be thorough
In the ALT tag of your image, do not just write a word to define what it represents. It is indeed a question of positioning in this tag a precise description of the image. The goal is for someone who cannot see the image to be able to imagine it. So an ALT tag “nine year old boy and girl playing” will be better than an ALT tag “kids“.
A CTA always helps
Internet users who cannot see the visual element need to understand that it is the button to click to perform an action. You can provide them with this information in the alt text. For a button inviting them to request info, you would have to imagine an ALT tag “request info here”.
Remember: Alt text gives us the ability to integrate targeted keywords in a relevant and meaningful way, which enriches the content and provides a better user experience.